Elvish neo-languages

!

Non-canon alert The subject of this article originates from non-canonical sources. To learn about what is considered "canon", see LOTR:Canon.

!

The Elvish neo-languages is the conventional name of the various attempts of use and develop the Elvish languages after the death of J.R.R. Tolkien.

History

Since the early 1970s, using the information about Elvish languages contained in Tolkien's published material, were made some attempts of study or write in Quenya or Sindarin. Fore example, using only Quenya words from The Lord of the Rings in 1973 in the third number of Forodrim's Palantiren Björn Fromén published the Valinorenna, a poem about Celebrían's farewell to Elrond. After the death of Tolkien the attempts continued thanks to the publication of The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth and mostly The History of Middle-earth. In particular, the most important publication about Tolkien's linguistics were the Lhammas and The Etymologies - contained in The Lost Road and Other Writings, the fifth volume of the History - and the publications of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship.

The study of the published material made possible to create or artificially derive new words, using Elvish roots from primitive languages (both in lore and in conceptual history) or cognates from relative languages or related words. Similarly were made attempts to reconstruct Elvish grammar rules. For example deducing a full working pronominal system based on Primitive Quendian evidence or a probable conjugation system for Sindarin verbs or using Ñoldorin (early Sindarin) of The Etymologies to create Sindarin forms. This attempts were also accompanied with an extensive use of Tengwar in writing the Elvish tongues.

Neo-Elvish languages of Middle-earth

Neo-Primitive Quendian and Neo-Eldarin

Remaining faithful to Tolkien's diachronic approach in languages' developing, the scholars of Tolkien Linguistics chose to reconstruct Elvish languages since to their early stage of development. In fact, using both the direct evidences of primitive Elvish languages and the reconstructive method (thanks to Elvish roots attested in the legendarium) various scholars succeeded in the attempt to reconstruct some forms of Neo-Primitive Quendian and Neo-Eldarin. Primitive Quendian and Common Eldarin were also used as base to infer a full working Elvish pronominal system.

Neo-Quenya

Quenya is one of the best attested languages in whole legendarium, thus the attempts to reconstruct a fully functional language are numerous. Equally numerous were the attempts to use Neo-Quenya for translations of Tolkien's works for translations of Tolkien's works, pre-existing literature (such as Biblical passages, Christian prayers, original short poems and stories etc.) or even to write original compositions, such as poems without containing the very frequent vowel a.

Neo-Sindarin, Neo-Telerin and Neo-Nandorin

As regards the languages belonging to the Telerin branch, the results of the various attempts were conditioned by the different degrees of attestation throughout the legendarium of the languages belonging to it. In fact, Falmarin and Nandorin (as well as Common Telerin) are not well attested as Sindarin. Despite this difficulty some attempts of reconstruct Neo-Telerin have had some successes, such as a complete translation of Namárië, while David Salo published a dictionary of Neo-Nandorin in 2000. Neo-Sindarin, although, has been one of the most investigate language. In fact, the scholars succeeded to deduce a system of conjugation for Sindarin verbs or to create Sindarin words from Quenya cognates or artificially derive new words from related ones, or from Proto-Quendian roots or using the Noldorin language of The Etymologies. Neo-Sindarin has also been used to fully translate the Namárië.

Neo-Avarin

Because Tolkien was mostly interested the Eldarin branch of the Quendian family, the Avarin tongues are the least attested Elvish languages of the whole legendarium. For this reason the scholars that attempted to reconstruct Avarin necessitated to create a wholly original vocabulary and grammar rules, mostly based on the phonology of the only six word known and on the evidences given by the other Elvish languages.